Primary standardisation of 204Tl using the efficiency tracing method

Activity measurement of mixed complex radionuclide like 152Eu with different methods

¹⁵²Eu has been standardized by three independent 4π β-γ coincidence counting systems with beta detectors as proportional counter, plastic scintillator and liquid scintillator along with the CIEMAT/NIST method. The average activity concentration by primary methods was linked to key comparison reference value (KCRV) by comparing it with that of 4π γ ionization chamber (GIC) whose calibration factor was determined from the KCRV (BIPM.RI(II)-K1.Eu-152 and CCRI(II)-K2.Eu-152) and deviates from GIC by ± 0.16% indicating good agreement within standard uncertainties.

Standardization of radionuclide by β(LS)-γ coincidence counting using the geometry-efficiency variation method

A liquid scintillation counting method consisting of three photomultiplier tubes for beta counters and a NaI(Tl) gamma counter has been developed for the standardization of radionuclides with the beta-gamma coincidence technique. The beta detection efficiency functions are obtained by means of a geometry-variation method developed in the present work; an array of beta detectors is moved uniformly at the same time from a centrally located counting vial to 50 mm. The method has been applied in the standardization of 60Co and 134Cs. Unquenched liquid scintillation samples with nominal count rates from 1000 to 6000 s-1 were prepared. The observed beta detection efficiencies with this method are from 90 to 45% in the case of 60Co, and from 84 to 50% for 134Cs. The output of each beta channel is summed together and compared with gamma data by the coincidence analyzer. The dead time of each counting channel is adjusted to be 20 micros, sufficiently long to suppress the afterpulses in the beta counting channel. The activity of each sample is determined by using the Cox and Isham formula. The obtained results are in good agreement with KRISS certified values.